Abstract
BackgroundSalinity is a major abiotic stressor that affects seed germination, plant growth, and crop production. Seed germination represents the beginning of plant growth and is closely linked with subsequent crop development and ultimate yield formation. This study attempted to extend findings regarding the potential proteomic dynamics during wheat seed germination under salt stress and to explore the mechanism of crop salt response.ResultsSalt stress significantly affected seed physiological activities during the germination process, resulting in significant decreases in phytohormone and α-amylase activity and significant increases in soluble sugar, starch, and ADP glucose pyrophosphorylase activity. A comparative proteomics approach was applied to analyze the dynamic proteome changes of embryo and endosperm during seed germination in Chinese winter wheat cultivar Zhengmai 366 under salt stress. Two-dimensional electrophoresis identified 92 and 61 differentially accumulated proteins (DAPs) in response to salt stress in embryo and endosperm, respectively. Both organs contained a high proportion of DAPs involved in stress defense, energy metabolism, and protein/amino acid metabolism. The endosperm had more DAPs related to storage proteins and starch metabolism than the embryo, and 2% of DAPs participating in lipid and sterol metabolism were specifically detected in the embryo.ConclusionsSeed physiological activities were significantly affected during the germination process when subjected to salt stress. The DAPs involved in stress defense and energy metabolism were upregulated whereas those related to reserve substance degradation and protein/amino acid metabolism were significantly downregulated, leading to delayed seed germination under salt stress. Our proteomic results revealed synergistic regulation of the response to salt stress during seed germination.
Highlights
Salinity is a major abiotic stressor that affects seed germination, plant growth, and crop production
This study identified six enzymes (GAPDH, phosphoglycerate mutase Phosphoglycerate mutase (PGAM), fructose-bisphosphate aldolase Fructose-bisphosphate aldolase (FBA), enolase EC, 3-phosphoglycerate kinase PGK, and triose-phosphate isomerase Triose-phosphate isomerase (TPI)) involved in glycolysis, most of which were upregulated in the embryo in response to salt stress during seed germination (Fig. 7a)
We found that the accumulated amounts of some important proteins related to transcription and translation were downregulated under salt stress, including transcription initiation factor Transcription initiation factor IIB (IIB) (TIF IIB, N48), 27 K protein (N63, M93), eukaryotic initiation factor Eukaryotic initiation factor 5A3 (5A3), elongation factor 1β (EF-1β, M94), and Hsp 70 (M10, M90)
Summary
Salinity is a major abiotic stressor that affects seed germination, plant growth, and crop production. Seed germination represents the beginning of plant growth and is closely linked with subsequent crop development and ultimate yield formation. Wheat seeds mainly consist of embryo and endosperm, which drive seed germination and subsequent plant growth and development. The embryo develops from the oosperm and contains a large amount of protein, sugar, and fat, accounting for 2.8–3.5% of the total weight of the seed. The endosperm mainly contains starch (starch grain state) and storage proteins, as well as a small amount of fat and mineral elements, providing energy and raw materials for seed germination. Wheat grains contain A-, B- and C-type starch granules differing in size. A-type granules are larger in size (diameter > 10 μm), lenticular in shape, and the weight of accounts for 70–80% of the total starch granules in endosperm. C-type starch granules with the minimum in size (diameter < 1 μm) are generally classified as B-type granules [5]
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